Cougar freshmen making strides on offense

With so many quality pieces available to put together their offensive puzzle, the Houston Cougars have been hard at work throughout fall practice to find the right combinations of guys on the field.

And while the proven players among the group – the Case Keenum’s, Bryce Beall’s, Patrick Edwards’ and Tyron Carrier’s of the world – are set in their spots, there are plenty of players vying for snaps behind some of the established veterans to provide depth and simply have a chance to contribute.

For someone like Daniel Spencer, the freshman running back from Grandview, cracking the running back rotation can be a challenge considering the talented veteran triothat the Cougars return at the position.

So, Spencer is using his versatility to find other ways to contribute.

“We’re kind of looking at him on the inside (as a receiver) to give us a little more versatility there,” co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Jason Phillips said. “The guy is obviously a true freshman that wants to play this year and he’s shown that he has the smarts and toughness to be able to do that for us. We’re excited about what he brings to the table.”

Spencer was a do-it-all athlete at Grandview, both on the football field and across different sports. He played multiple positions for the zebras, including receiver, making it easier for him to take reps at other positions.

“The only thing he has to adjust to — and he’s doing an excellent job of it right now — is the speed of the game,” Phillips said. “He’s a football player. He’s the type of guy you want on the field because he’s adjusting to what’s going on out there speed-wise. And he’s very intelligent so he’s learning the offense and he’s a guy that we feel very comfortable with. Once he gets the hang of what’s going on out there for us, he’ll be a great player for us.”

Another freshman on offense who has impressed in fall camp is receiver Mark Roberts. The West Orange-Stark product is 6-4, a tall target that has shown ability to make plays in the Cougars’ two fall scrimmages.

“He’s one of the biggest receivers we’ve had here in awhile,” He has great speed. He has excellent hands. We’re excited about him. It seems like the more and more he practices and plays the better he gets. He turns it on on Saturday. When you put him in game situations, that’s when he is best. So we’re excited about Mark.”

Phillips said that Roberts still has work to do when it comes to conditioning and getting his weight up, but his future his bright.

“Mark has done a tremendous job getting himself ready,” Phillips said. “He needs to continue to work on his conditioning and size — he’s 6-3 1/2 to 6-4,170-to-180 pounds — so obviously there are going to be some challenges for him with some man coverage and those types of things but he’s ready to play right now. He’s doing all the right things to get on the field.”

13 Responses

Sam, do you know if Sumlin is going to have another closed scrimmage before Sept. 3rd?

Also, great article on the freshmen players that want to get on the field. Roberts is a good get for the coogs. He is what is called a “gamer.” I’m not sure how he practices but when they blow the whistle his motor revs up. Two nice catches late in the last scrimmage probably opened a spot up for him, if he didn’t have one already.

It is great to hear we have new young talent ready to step in and gain experience as next year will be much needed. Any truth to the rumor reported on radio that another big donation will be announced soon?

I don’t think it will be an issue to break ground early next year, as long as we win!

coogam,
I’m not real sure. It could be just to mix things up since the Cougars and Owls are the first ones that pop up on the main story rotation (the big photo that sits on the left of the college page). I would guess that it’s adjusted that way to give good exposure to all the main schools we cover.
-SK

Wow, sounds like the offensive side of the ball is much more flexible than the defensive side. The offense is trying to find ways to get football players on the field … “He’s a football player. He’s the type of guy you want on the field because he’s adjusting to what’s going on out there speed-wise”. The defensive side seems to be taking football players off the field and starting guys with no experience (think backfield). Hope it all works out, for the fans’ sake.

I met Mark Roberts in person at the fan appreciation day he is the biggest 6’4″ 170lb kid I’ve ever met and he has a great attitude.

Now lets talk about the weather. Make no bones about it, any one who tells you that weather will not be a factor is kidding themselves. I just googled the four day forecast for Los Angeles and it reads as follows 86 degrees for the high with 68% humidity, compare that to Houston’s 104 for the average high with 84% humidity.
I say that not only does the 12th man live in fahrenheit but the 13th man will also have something to say about it in humidity.

The only hope that UCLA will have will be locking down the doors, and pumping steam into the gym. It reminds me of that famous quote from Appocalypse Now, Marlon Brando “The horror”

From: Rivals UCLA

Neuheisel getting team ready for conditions

by Rick Kimbrel
UCLA head coach, Rick Neuheisel and his coaching are doing everything they can to get his team ready for the hot, gritty and tough conditions that are likely to be when they arri… [details]